I flew down to Kuala Lumpur with Malaysia Airlines. It was nice to see a recent article of mine in their inflight magazine, ‘Going Places’. Thanks to editor, Vivian Chong, it is certainly one of the best inflight reads around at the moment.  My feature was on the market town of Pakse in southern Laos. Here’s a scan of the opening page of the five page spread.  If you want to know more about Pakse and are not flying with Malaysia Airlines in January, you can pick up my book, ‘Enchanting Laos’ online or at all good bookshops or have a look at pictures in the Portfolio.

The website has been dormant for far too long. Current projects are taking up most of my time, leaving little to spare on these pages. Enlivened by the discovery of Marston’s Pedigree in a Bangkok supermarket, I feel inspired to enjoy a glass of the amber nectar while posting a few shots taken in southern Laos.

During a recent motorcycle trip in the south, I spent a few days in Pakse. Vietnam lies just a few hours east of the bustling town, a fact that is immediately evident if you take a walk around the huge morning market.

A fabulous discovery on the way out of town was the Vietnamese pig market on the banks of the Mekong. Chatting to the delightful traders while they enjoyed their morning bowl of pho noodle soup, prodded, poked, and bartered for pigs was hugely entertaining – for all but the pigs.

The sellers gather in the early hours and it’s all done and dusted by midday. Deals settled, the pigs are dropped into rice sacks, loaded into motorcycle sidecars, and onto trucks. It’s coming across unexpected events like the pig market that make traveling in Laos such a pleasure. It’s as mad as a bag of snakes – or a sidecar full of pigs – with never a dull moment.

This Vietnamese girl in the main market was selling lizards to grill and serve with a mango salad. I wonder if that would go ok with a pint of Pedigree?